The present invention is directed to a method and apparatus for redirecting network traffic. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a method and apparatus of re-routing electronic mail (or xe2x80x9ce-mailxe2x80x9d) messages transmitted via the Internet.
One of the most basic services offered by Internet Service Providers (or xe2x80x9cISPsxe2x80x9d) is a private or corporate e-mail account that a customer may use for transmitting and receiving electronic mail (e-mail) messages via the Internet. Each of these e-mail accounts has a unique address.
Internet service customers are notoriously fickle in their choice of ISPs. The customer turnover rate is typically 50% each year for most ISPs (those ISPs that do not have meaningful market competition have lower turnover, of course). When a customer closes an account at one ISP and opens a new account at another ISP, the customer cannot maintain the same e-mail address. This is a natural result of the currently used e-mail addressing convention wherein part of the address includes an identification of the ISP. Thus, when the ISP changes, at least a part of the e-mail address must also change.
This is inconvenient because e-mail gets lost. In the prior art, e-mail messages sent to a defunct address (belonging to an inactive account) are either acknowledged as being undeliverable or they are simply ignored. Colloquially, acknowledgement by an ISP that the message is undeliverable as addressed is known as xe2x80x9cbouncingxe2x80x9d the message back to the sender. Although this doesn""t get the message to the intended recipient and it fails to inform the sender of a correct address (if any exists) for the intended recipient, at least it puts the sender on notice that they have attempted to use an inaccurate e-mail address.
Simply ignoring an undeliverable message, as is done by some ISPs, is quite non-helpful because the sender remains ignorant that the message was sent to an inaccurate address.
The present invention is a method and apparatus for the rerouting of e-mail from a prior or non-working address to the new address of a recipient. In general, two basic re-route methods are employed, varying as noted more fully below. E-mail that is to be sent to a recipient is sent to the former Internet Service Provider (ISP). Since the recipient is no longer a subscriber to the old ISP, the e-mail is re-routed to a re-route server of the present invention. The re-route server then causes the e-mail to be sent to the correct address through a variety of means. This embodiment provides privacy with respect to the new address of the recipient since it is known only to the re-route server and NOT to the old ISP.
Alternatively, new e-mail addresses are made available at the old ISP. The old ISP can then forward e-mail directly to the new ISP. This has the advantage of a direct route from the old ISP to the new ISP. However, privacy of the new e-mail address for the recipient is less since the address is now known to the old ISP.
In ether case, a business model arises that allows this process to occur. As noted above, there is a tremendous turnover in subscribers to any particular ISP. Realizing that, just as e-mail may be forwarded AWAY from an ISP, so can e-mail to other ISP""s be forwarded TO the old ISP for new subscribers. Thus it is to all ISP""s advantage to forward e-mail where possible. In addition, user fees will be paid for this service. Those entities running re-route servers could easily share revenue with the ISP""s that are registered with the re-route service. Thus not only will a valuable service be performed, but the ISP""s can generate additional revenues from participation.